Pocket Change
by Celeste K. Raven
Summary: Will has come up with a creative new way to get pocket change!


Halt sat in his favorite chair, shifting through the pile of reports Crowley had sent him. Practically every one said the same thing. _The_ _storm hit us hard. There's damage everywhere. People are panicking. Crime rate had risen immensely. Can you spare any reinforcement? _

Gilan's report troubled Halt the most. _I found Baron Reel unconscious and bleeding from a head wound in his office. The healers tell me he likely hit his head on a desk when he fell. He's in some sort of coma; no one ventures to guess when he'll come out. I gave orders to keep this from the public, but naturally news leaked out anyway…_

Halt shook his head, not wanting to read anymore. If it were up to him, he would leave right now and help his former apprentice, but Crowley had issued an order for every Ranger to stay in his own fief for the time being. Help would come after the situation had been assessed.

The Ranger ran his hand through his hair. He would have to send his own report to Crowley within the weeks, as well as a possible plan to approach chaos. It figured that one of the only fiefs not affected by the earthquake was being watched over by one of the most experienced rangers.

_I need a quill, _Halt thought. _The sooner I write, the sooner I can send it. _Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any quills in the main room… or his room… or the kitchen…

The only place left to check was Will's room. Halt loathed to invade his apprentice's privacy, especially while he wasn't home. Yes, it was his house, but the boy had earned Halt's trust.

_Why are you making such a big deal out of a missing quill? Get that report done!_ The man urged himself.

He opened Will's door, pleased to find the room neat and orderly. A small notebook was open on the bed, with a pot of ink right beside it. Halt's positive feelings went away and he shook his head at his apprentice's carelessness. That ink would spill all over the blankets if left where it stood. Halt moved it to the nightstand.

Although the ink and the paper were visible, a quill was not. It was neither on the floor or the nightstand. He lifted up a pillow, thinking he would check under the bed next. Then he lifted up the other pillow.

There was the quill. The tip had made a small stain on the bed, but that wasn't what bothered Halt.

The pillow itself weighed a lot more than it should have. Halt also noticed a large bulge at the base of it. He slipped the cover off, and nearly forty silver coins fell out onto the bed.

Halt stood and stared down at them for a moment, his brow furled in confusion. Fifteen-year-old former ward members didn't usually have large stashes of money at their disposable.

It was then that the front door creaked open. Halt grabbed a handful of the coins and let them fall back through his fingers before deciding to go back into the living room and leave them where they were. He was just in time to see his apprentice's head peak in before the rest of his body followed.

''Will!'' Halt barked. Will jumped. ''What are you doing?''

''I, uh, bought the meat,'' Will said, holding up the carefully wrapped food.

''Congratulations,'' Halt said dryly. He watched the boy put the groceries away.

''Why aren't you wearing your cloak? Did you lose it?''

Will shook his head quickly. ''Nu, uh. It's in my saddle bag.'' Feeling for some reason that the excuse was a little lame, he added. ''I got warm.''

The older man rolled his eyes. Will headed for his room, not giving his master a chance to mention the pouring rain outside. Halt didn't make any distrusting comments; he simply followed the boy into his room.

Will stopped when he saw the money lying out in the open. Then he turned around slowly tried to hide a guilty expression.

''So you…'' his voice trailed off and he point to his bed.

Halt nodded slowly. When it became apparent that he was not going to be offered an explanation, he prompted; ''Why do you have that?''

Will flinched. The question held all kind of different accusations. ''Some Battleschool apprentice's gave that to me.''

Halt nodded, and motioned for him to go on.

''They, uh, dared me to go inside the Ranger's house. I mean our house. I mean _your_ house. Uh, this house. Anyway, they offered to pay me if I would do it, so I did and they kept their word.''

''They gave you _all _this?'' Halt's eyebrows raised in disbelief.

''No. They told their friends, but I guess they thought it was a lie because two days later they visited me and offered me the same bet. I took it that bet again. They must have thought I was bluffing because they bet me more than double what their friends had. I, uh, also offered to them something from the house.''

Halt took a moment to untangle the explanation. ''You _kind of_ started a business out of a scam?'' He shook his head in disgust, both at gullibility of Rodney's apprentices and the nerve of his own.

Will refused to look at him, although he did nod mutely.

''What is it that makes teenagers think they'll never get caught?'' Halt asked aloud. ''If I hadn't found out, the Battleschool apprentices would have. You'd be lucky if they told Rodney or Arald instead of coming to punish you themselves.''

This time his response was a little sniffle, but Halt refused to feel pity. ''I don't know what you were planning to do with all this money, but right now you're going to give it back. _And_ you will not be accepting any coins from the apprentices waiting outside.''

''Yes sir,'' Will said quietly, slipping the money into a pouch. He started to walk out of the room when Halt remembered something.

''Will? What did you give the Battleschool apprentice?''

Will looked confused, but the moment passed. ''Only a quill, Halt. I'll find a way to pay you back.''

Halt nodded, his expression still as stern as ever. After Will left he sat done in the chair where this whole fiasco had begun and thought to himself. _I'll have to think of a proper punishment for the boy, no doubt, but I don't feel up to switching him. After all, that was the most creative plan for obtaining pocket I've ever borne witness too. His apprentices will be hearing this story, no doubt about that. _

Halt actually smiled when he thought of someone he would be able to tell long before Will had any apprentices of his own. A good laugh would take the world of Gilan's shoulders, if only for a moment.

* * *

><p>A.N) I didn't remeber what type of money they have in Ranger's Apprentice, and I don't own any of the books. I hope you liked it!<p>

P.S] Halt knew there were more boys outside waiting for Will because he didn't have his Ranger cloak on (or his oakleaf, but Halt didn't notice that one), and he entered the room slowly, like he was sneaking in. I wasn't sure if everyone caught that.


End file.
